Halep Romps To Osaka Rout In Rome

Naomi Osaka defeated Simona Halep at Indian Wells earlier this year, but she could not get close to the world number one on Wednesday.

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World number one Simona Halep made a sublime start to the Internazionali d'Italia with a brutal 6-1 6-0 defeat of Naomi Osaka.

Halep, a beaten finalist last year, was handed a tough second-round draw against Osaka, who defeated the top seed on her way to victory at Indian Wells earlier this year and saw off Victoria Azarenka in her opening match.

But the Romanian was in ruthless form on Wednesday as she tore through her opponent, winning 12 games in a row to complete a thrashing in just 59 minutes.

With the French Open just around the corner, Halep will see a potential triumph in Rome - the first of her career - as ideal preparation if she can continue in this vein for the rest of the week.